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Sunday, November 15, 2015

Arlington Transits Suez Canal, Enters 5th Fleet

By Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Stevie Tate

RED SEA (NNS) -- The amphibious transport dock ship USS
Arlington (LPD 24) completed its first transit of the Suez Canal and entered
the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, Nov. 9.

The San Antonio-class ship completed the transit after
conducting operations in the Mediterranean Sea and will rejoin the Kearsarge
Amphibious Ready Group (KSGARG) to continue its maiden deployment in support of
maritime security operations.

The Suez Canal is a 120-mile long artificial channel
connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Its narrow width limits
traffic to one-way travel at any given time, with only two points wide enough
to allow passing. The transit through the Suez Canal marks the shift from the
6th to 5th Fleet area of operations, which is responsible for about 2.5 million
square miles of water including the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of
Aden, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean.

"Our transition to the 5th Fleet area of operations
marks the second chapter in Arlington's Maiden Deployment," said USS
Arlington's Commanding Officer Capt. Sean Bailey. "We now have to
transition from NATO focused training and missions in the Mediterranean Sea to
the daily conduct of maritime security operations and forward presence in a
region of the world where the maritime domain is of strategic importance to a
number of regional nations and allies. It will be both challenging and
rewarding.